Book review - Victor: An Unfinished Song: Before he died, in captivity, already injured, Victor Jara wrote a last poem, his unfinished song. When the workers of Chile and the world put an end to poverty, hunger and inequality, they will finish that song.

The billionaire-backed conservative capitalist opposition won a large majority in Venezuela's recent general election. This represents a big setback to the 'Bolivarian revolution' legacy of Hugo Chavez.

Seattle's political revolution continues: At the time of writing, 55.5% of voters (15,054) in Seattle's District 3 have chosen Kshama Sawant of Socialist Alternative (US co-thinkers of the Socialist Party) to serve another four years on the city council.

The contraction of the Chinese stock exchange has sparked justified fears that the world economy could be in for a repetition at a certain stage of a crisis with similar effects to the 2007/2008 catastrophe

Commemorations marking the 70th anniversary 'victory in Europe' (VE) day recently took place in Britain (and throughout the world) with establishment dignitaries saluting veteran service men and women who liberated Europe from the clutches of fascism

Apart from TUSC - with its brilliantly effective TV broadcast and general programme for socialist change - none of the big or even the smaller parties have been prepared to offer any alternative to the existing capitalist system